Just stumbled upon this today, pardon if it's been posted, but is this basically a pipe dream by an architectural firm that they want the city to bite on? or is it something the city of Scottsdale wants to build?

Just stumbled upon this today, pardon if it's been posted, but is this basically a pipe dream by an architectural firm that they want the city to bite on? or is it something the city of Scottsdale wants to build?

I read about it a few weeks ago. It seems dubious from a few points of view, most notably:

1) The Highline Park in NYC is a reuse of abandoned railroad tracks and travels through interesting neighborhoods that people already live in or want to visit. The proposal for McDowell would create a completely new structure from scratch and located mostly by shuttered auto dealerships. You can't recreate the magic of NYC's park from out of the blue. It has to arise from assets already in the community.

2) The main existing asset involved here is Papago Park, but, whoops, that's not even in Scottsdale. Papago is mostly located within Phoenix with an eastern sliver in Tempe. The advocates for this project never seem to address how they'd make this a three-city project, which would be necessary in order to include an amphitheater within Papago Park. The Discovery Triangle organization, which is supposed to foster regional cooperation around Papago Park, would be the perfect agency to advocate for this, except that Scottsdale recently withdrew from the Discovery Triangle.

looks like several the projects going up in scottsdale (not high rises of course) will be rental only as the rental market in the valley seems to be working (44 monroe about full and west 6th in tempe)

A bridge across Indian Bend Wash in south Scottsdale will get a dramatic makeover next year as part of a $4 million streetscape project along a portion of Thomas Road.

The project is aimed at making the street safer for pedestrians and cyclists along Thomas Road from 73rd Street to the bridge.

The most striking aspect of the project will be a $137,000 public-art component featuring 8- to 14-foot-tall steel reeds made to look like multicolored grass with seed pods. They will be installed along both sides of the Thomas Road bridge over the wash.

The overall streetscape project includes most of Thomas between the Hayden Road and Scottsdale Road intersections. The bridge is just west of the Hayden intersection.

Construction could be delayed, however, because of a disagreement between the city and Salt River Project over who should pay for replacement of an old irrigation pipe.

The streetscape is one of two projects being initiated by the city to improve safety along Thomas. The other project involves improvements at the Thomas-Hayden intersection.

Thomas-Hayden has ranked as the No. 1 intersection for accidents in Scottsdale annually since 2006, according to city records. The intersection has tallied 29 accidents so far this year, police say.

The streetscape will cost $4 million, including $3.5 million left over from the 2000 bonds approved by voters and $500,000 from the streets department budget. The Thomas-Hayden intersection project will cost $1.3 million, most of which is covered through a federal highway-safety improvement grant.

The first project will be the streetscape, which involves widening Thomas to create bicycle lanes, improved striping, wider sidewalks and a landscape buffer between the sidewalk and street, said Gary Meyer, project manager.

The project will include adding landscaped medians, upgrading the road with rubberized asphalt and installing lower-level pedestrian lighting, he said.

"Safety is the primary issue," Meyer said. "Secondarily, landscape enhancements and public artwork will enhance the aesthetic value of this area. It's a combination, but the primary focus is safety."

Construction could begin in November, and total construction time is 10-12 months, he said. The project will be on hold during spring training to accommodate heavier traffic in the area, he said.

"We won't be closing roads (during construction) but we will have lane restrictions during the course of construction," he said.

A beacon and gateway

The public-art component, titled "Swale," was created by Pennsylvania-based sculptor Stacy Levy. Her website, stacylevy.com, illustrates her public-art works in several parts of the country.

According to Levy's website, "Swale" "creates a pattern like leaves or flames, evoking the flow of the park below and the traffic above." She designed it to be a "beacon" for people below the bridge, and a "gateway" for those crossing the bridge.

"(Levy) looks for sites that give the opportunity to bring the patterns and process of the natural world into the build environment," said Jana Weldon, senior project manager for Scottsdale Public Art. "By focusing on the bridge crossing at Indian Bend Wash, the artist's proposal can give an experience to all modes of transportation -- vehicular, bike and pedestrian -- and become a landmark for the neighborhood."

Scottsdale Public Art, an independent contractor to the city, selected Levy for the project. The city is required to spend 1 percent of its capital projects budget on public art, and while there is no funding requirement for transportation/pedestrian projects, the city chooses to do so in such projects as the Thomas streetscape, Weldon said.

The streetscape originally was to span Thomas from Pima Road to 64th Street, with Levy's art "sprinkled along the whole stretch," she said. The city then scaled the project back with Levy's art only on the bridge, she said.

The $137,000 for "Swale" is included in the $4 million for the overall project, Meyer said. That breaks down to: $100,000 for fabrication and installation; $34,000 in artist's fees, including travel expenses for design, creation of a model, community meetings and presentations; and $3,000 for structural engineering, which did not go to the artist.

Levy's fee is higher than normal because she created two designs, one for the larger stretch and then another for just the bridge with the scaled-down project, Weldon said.

In addition to the art, the bridge will include other features to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, Meyer said.

"Currently, the railing is a low barrier meant to keep cars from going off the bridge, but it's not good for pedestrians," he said. "So the project will create a better sidewalk that's raised above street level ... and then a 54-inch-high railing for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. It adds a more elegant look to the bridge."

Other project elements

The city is in discussions with SRP over who will pay for replacing an old irrigation pipe that will not accommodate the new construction. SRP relies on the pipe to deliver canal water to such customers as El Dorado Park, Coronado High School and Coronado Golf Course for irrigation.

"It's a 30-inch diameter, cast-in-place pipe and the location is such that when we widen the roadway, the curb line will be right on top of this old pipe," Meyer said. "It is not going to stand up to the new construction loads, so it needs to be replaced."

The pipe stretches about a quarter-mile, which is "a significant portion of the project, and it's costly because you have to dig up the old pipe and put in a new, improved pipe and those costs run about $150 per linear foot, including removal and reconstruction," he said.

Patty Garcia-Likens, SRP spokeswoman, said SRP agrees the pipe will need to be replaced.

"The pipe was laid down and constructed prior to Thomas Road, and so for this reason, the city is responsible to pay for those costs to upgrade that section of pipe," she said.

The city's position is "SRP should pay to upgrade their pipe," Meyer said. The cost for replacing the pipe is "approaching $200,000," he said.

Meyer said there should be funding available, if necessary.

In 2014, the city should begin construction on improvements to make the Thomas-Hayden intersection safer for vehicles and pedestrians.

Officer David Pubins, a Scottsdale police spokesman, said the city has tallied 29 traffic accidents so far this year at or around Hayden and Thomas, which includes a 250-foot radius around the intersection.

Private driveways near the intersection, general congestion, the high number of left-turning vehicles in all directions and failure to reduce speed all contribute to making the intersection prone to accidents.

The project will add a second left-turn lane to all four intersection approaches and reconstruct the medians to eliminate some of the existing turns allowed, said Paul Porell, the city's traffic engineering director.

The dual left-turn lanes will allow the traffic-signal phasing for east-west traffic to be changed to fully protected left-turn arrows rather than allowing turns on both arrows and the full green, he said.

Provided by SkySong
The apartments are to be built in four phases that stretch out the final opening until April 2014.

Patrick O'Grady
Reporter- Phoenix Business Journal
Email | Twitter

SkySong will be getting a residential component as the Plaza Cos., USAA Real Estate Co. and Arizona State University embark on a $44 million project in August.

The project, known as the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, includes about 325 residential units that will be open by October 2013, officials said.
The apartments, to be built in four phases that stretch out the opening until April 2014, will be built around the facility’s main parking garage. MT Builders will handle construction and Lincoln Property Co. will be the apartment management company.

“We’re very excited to get this project under construction because we believe it has the potential to be highly successful,” said Don Vouvillion, vice president of real estate for the ASU Foundation. “The kind of high-quality residential component we are planning will meet a key market niche in the area and provide new residential opportunities for those wanting to live in this dynamic part of the Valley.”

SkySong was a joint venture between ASU, Plaza Cos. and USAA, designed to be an incubator for businesses coming out of the university. It also has become home to some technology ventures by companies such as Ticketmaster as well as a home for international businesses looking for locations in the Phoenix-metro area.

USAA will provide the financing for the project.

SkySong currently has office space in two buildings on the 42-acre campus. Plans are under way for two more office buildings at a cost of $60 million as well as the apartments that would bring the total development size to 750,000 square feet.
The first two buildings are about 98 percent leased, officials said.

“SkySong has always been planned as a mixed-use development that provides an exceptional environment for living and working,” said Sharon Harper, president and CEO of Plaza Cos. “With this residential project under way, we are getting closer than ever to our goal of truly revitalizing this property and making SkySong an ideal destination for the kind of jobs and industries that will have a positive economic impact on our community.”

Provided by SkySong
The apartments are to be built in four phases that stretch out the final opening until April 2014.

Patrick O'Grady
Reporter- Phoenix Business Journal
Email | Twitter

SkySong will be getting a residential component as the Plaza Cos., USAA Real Estate Co. and Arizona State University embark on a $44 million project in August.

The project, known as the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, includes about 325 residential units that will be open by October 2013, officials said.
The apartments, to be built in four phases that stretch out the opening until April 2014, will be built around the facility’s main parking garage. MT Builders will handle construction and Lincoln Property Co. will be the apartment management company.

“We’re very excited to get this project under construction because we believe it has the potential to be highly successful,” said Don Vouvillion, vice president of real estate for the ASU Foundation. “The kind of high-quality residential component we are planning will meet a key market niche in the area and provide new residential opportunities for those wanting to live in this dynamic part of the Valley.”

SkySong was a joint venture between ASU, Plaza Cos. and USAA, designed to be an incubator for businesses coming out of the university. It also has become home to some technology ventures by companies such as Ticketmaster as well as a home for international businesses looking for locations in the Phoenix-metro area.

USAA will provide the financing for the project.

SkySong currently has office space in two buildings on the 42-acre campus. Plans are under way for two more office buildings at a cost of $60 million as well as the apartments that would bring the total development size to 750,000 square feet.
The first two buildings are about 98 percent leased, officials said.

“SkySong has always been planned as a mixed-use development that provides an exceptional environment for living and working,” said Sharon Harper, president and CEO of Plaza Cos. “With this residential project under way, we are getting closer than ever to our goal of truly revitalizing this property and making SkySong an ideal destination for the kind of jobs and industries that will have a positive economic impact on our community.”

Tribal leaders and private businesses are developing a $170 million entertainment complex just east of Scottsdale, introducing more competition for tourist dollars as the post-recession economy progresses.

The developer and investors behind Odysea in the Desert hope to distinguish it by providing what they say will be North America's largest butterfly pavilion, an aquarium exhibit, a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum and other attractions.

The project will add to an emerging entertainment corridor along Loop 101 on the Salt River Reservation that already includes the Talking Stick Resort and Casino, two adjacent golf courses, and the Salt River Fields spring training baseball complex.

Still, the complex faces competition from other Valley attractions, including an aquarium in Tempe, several Valley locations that feature exotic-animal attractions, and relatively new regional entertainment and shopping centers in Glendale, Tempe and Phoenix.

Despite that, tourism officials say an attraction with multiple offerings, located close to Scottsdale and its many resorts, can only enhance the Valley's reputation as a prime tourism destination, creating the potential for attracting more tourism dollars.

"Anything that brings tourists or attracts visitors to our state is just going to help our economy," said Kiva Couchon, the Arizona Office of Tourism's director of communications. "Anything unique and different that we can offer is going to enhance that visitor experience and is going to work to our advantage. We don't see competition, just another option for visitors to enjoy."

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community officials say the project is not seen as just a single enterprise, but part of a larger plan.

"Our approach is to create synergy and uniqueness in offering our guests and their families a variety of experiences unmatched anywhere,'' said Diane Enos, president of the tribal community. "We are stimulating the economy with jobs and opportunities for spin-off development to match what is already there.''

The butterfly pavilion is the first phase of the 35-acre entertainment complex at the northeastern corner of Loop 101 and Via De Ventura.

"We've been working for quite some time to be able to negotiate and obtain a 65-year ground lease from the landowner and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community," said Amram Knishinsky, principal partner and developer of Butterfly Wonderland.

The project is being funded by the developer and a group of private investors, Knishinsky said. The other principals are Northern Gateway LLC, Martin Pollack and Rubin Stahl.

Butterfly Wonderland, which will encompass 5 acres, is scheduled to open in spring 2013. The overall project includes four phases totaling 522,000 square feet.

"We traveled across the country and have seen all of the other displays that are available, and then we came home and designed it on steroids, which means bigger and including more subjects than anybody else has done in the past," Knishinsky said. "It will be a two-hour visit that will both entertain and educate you."

It will be populated with butterflies from the rainforests of the world, including Costa Rica, Brazil, Africa and the Philippines, he said. Most of the marine life, such as piranhas and gars, will come from the Amazon, he said.

Though on a smaller scale, Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden features biannual butterfly exhibits. Its Mariposa Monarca: Monarch Butterfly Exhibit opens in late September and continues through late November. In the spring, its North American butterflies exhibit opens in early March and continues through Mother's Day.

"It's a screened-in structure, so there's plants and food in there for the butterflies, and visitors can walk right in there," said John Sallot, the Botanical Garden's director of marketing. "Sometimes butterflies land right on you."

The Renaissance Cos. is handling construction of Butterfly Wonderland, while the design group is Robert Brown of Montgomery Design Group and Brissette Architects. They are all Scottsdale firms.

David Tilson, vice president of the Renaissance Cos., said building an enclosed environment with a rainforest in the desert presents a challenge. Cincinnati-based Rough Bros. will be involved in the design of the complex, he said.

"They do a lot of greenhouses, places where environments are important," he said.

Penguins in next phase

The second phase will be Odysea Aquarium, a freshwater and saltwater aquarium attraction on 12 acres. It will include shark tanks with walk-through tunnels, a king-penguin exhibit, an underwater theater and a display of the Great Barrier Reef.

"The Odysea Aquarium and additional restaurant and retail will take 24 months to build and we're looking at opening in 2015," Knishinsky said. "That would only be the second phase."

Sea Life Arizona, at Tempe's Arizona Mills Mall, features more than 5,000 sea creatures in 30 displays. In Litchfield Park, Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium includes more than 6,000 exotic animals. The Phoenix Zoo remains a major attraction.

The third and fourth phases of Odysea will include a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum and an IMAX theater.

The prospect of having varied attractions located on one site close to Scottsdale is being well-received by city tourism officials.

Rachel Pearson, vice president of community and government affairs for the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the variety of elements in the complex will drive visitors not only there, but also to Scottsdale.

"It will bring something new to the area just because what is incorporated into the plans are things we don't have," she said.

The Scottsdale City Council on Tuesday approved several permits for Triyar Entertainment's beach club-anchored complex in the city's downtown entertainment district.

Scottsdale Retail Plaza is well under construction on most of the block that housed Myst nightclub on Shoeman Lane, and Suede restaurant and bar on Indian Plaza. The complex is set to open in the first quarter of 2013.

The council approved the following:

Conditional-use permits for a bar and live entertainment for Triyar's beach club, which will include a 9,700-square-foot indoor bar and 17,600 square feet of outdoor pool and patio areas. The club will be in the center of the complex.

Conditional-use permits for a bar and live entertainment for Riot Hospitality Group's Whiskey Row, a modern Western saloon on the eastern side of the complex.

A conditional-use permit for a bar for Munchbar, Les Corieri's latest venue. The sports bar also will be on the eastern side of the complex.

The council also approved liquor-license recommendations to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control for Whiskey Row and the beach club.

Councilman Bob Littlefield voted against all of the items, saying the complex will be the "biggest and most intrusive part of this bar district," and that the city has yet to "discipline and get control" of the district that's "destroying" the city.

Councilman Ron McCullagh voted against the conditional-use permits for Whiskey Row. He said the live entertainment won't be contained inside the bar because, although the doors are required to be closed and there won't be any outdoor speakers, there is no requirement for the roll-up window to the patio to be closed.

"The whole issue of trying to contain the noise seems to have been bypassed," he said.

Councilwoman Lisa Borowsky made the motions for all of the approvals, saying the applicant has met all of the criteria imposed by the city and that Triyar is investing a lot in the city to revitalize aging properties.

The council has yet to consider a recommendation for Munchbar's liquor license. Planning Director Tim Curtis said its liquor-license application had to be withdrawn and resubmitted, and will be considered by the council in the coming weeks.

McCullagh said the council shouldn't consider a conditional-use permit before a liquor-license recommendation and made a motion to postpone the issue until both could be considered at the same meeting. Littlefield seconded his motion, saying the liquor-license application includes a lot of important information, such as an applicant's criminal history.

The council voted 5-2 for Borowsky's substitute motion for approval, with McCullagh and Littlefield voting no.

Jason Morris, a zoning attorney representing Triyar, said the complex replaces "precisely the same uses that were there before ... only updated and better constructed." He also said there will be daytime and nighttime use at the complex, and that entertainment won't start until after 5 p.m.

Mark Stuart, a Scottsdale resident, asked the council who the target market for the complex is and, "why do we want this?"

John Washington, a former mayoral candidate, said he was asked by Bill Crawford, president of the Association to Preserve Downtown Scottsdale's Quality of Life, to speak in opposition. The city originally was told the complex would replace two bars with one bar and retail space, and now it will include five bars, no retail and less parking, he said.

"The bottom line is these uses will exacerbate the problems we already have with parking, noise and imported crime," he said.

I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but why is so much land along the 101 in Scottsdale undeveloped? Is it mostly Indian land that they find sacred, or is someone just sitting on it waiting for it to appreciate even more? It just seems strange to me that such an abundance of land remains undeveloped in such a prime location. Can't they find more remote locations to use as farmland?

Optima Sonoran Village seems to be coming along quite fast. it says opening spring 2013. no pics but next time I drive I will try to snap a few.

Snapped this photo a few weeks ago. Seems like they are coming along. Had the pleasure of speaking to Eileen Hovey, wife, co-owner and designated broker of the sales portion and she informed me that they will have the leasing office open mid-January to early February 2013.

One of downtown Scottsdale’s few supermarkets would be replaced by a larger store with rooftop parking under plans recently submitted to the city by designer Perkowitz + Ruth Architects if Miller Plaza LLC and Fry’s Food requested rezoning at Miller and Indian School roads is approved.

A new Fry’s supermarket of 74K SF and 26 feet high would replace a store that’s a little more than 50K SF.

A second level would be unusual for an Arizona supermarket, which typically anchor shopping centers with street-level parking.

Nationally, retail grocers have built two-level stores in urban areas with walkable neighborhoods but they are not common in suburban settings like Scottsdale.

One of downtown Scottsdale’s few supermarkets would be replaced by a larger store with rooftop parking under plans recently submitted to the city by designer Perkowitz + Ruth Architects if Miller Plaza LLC and Fry’s Food requested rezoning at Miller and Indian School roads is approved.

A new Fry’s supermarket of 74K SF and 26 feet high would replace a store that’s a little more than 50K SF.

A second level would be unusual for an Arizona supermarket, which typically anchor shopping centers with street-level parking.

Nationally, retail grocers have built two-level stores in urban areas with walkable neighborhoods but they are not common in suburban settings like Scottsdale.

Ali Fakih of the Sustainability Engineering Group said the parking deck will have elevators directly into the store. He added that the project is a first for Fry’s in Arizona using an urban design.

If the rezoning is approved, the project could start in late 2013 or next year, Lynn said.

This is fantastic! I designed a proposal once for a client to have a commercial center where all the parking would be above the stores, and they claimed that it would never happen in AZ. I'm glad to see that we are finally reaching the point where this is possible. Hopefully this is the first of many more to come in the valley.